


Shiho's Tower

by KonoeYuuki



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 19:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20140423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KonoeYuuki/pseuds/KonoeYuuki
Summary: Akira, Ann and Mishima visit Shiho in the hospital after the events of April 15th. Written from Akira's first person perspective.





	Shiho's Tower

The familiar, yet oddly sickening smell of a hospital stirred uncomfortable feelings in me. Before that day, I could count on one hand the times I had been inside of one. Ann had visited Shiho before, so I followed her lead. First, through the front entrance. Walk past the cafeteria and gift shop behind the escalators. Take the elevator up to the second floor, and down the second hallway on the right. Walk through the big double doors that split the phrase, “PHYSICAL THERAPY” with one word on each door, and immediately direct yourself to the receptionist’s desk at dead center. Ann walked ahead of me to talk to the nurse.

“We’re here to visit our friend Shiho. Suzui, Shiho.”

The receptionist recognized Ann and handed her a sign-in sheet with a subtle smile. As it was my first time visiting, I was asked to fill out some extra information.

NAME: Kurusu, Akira

PHONE NUMBER: xxxx-(xx)-xxxx

VISITING PATIENT: Suzui, Shiho

FAMILY OR FRIEND?: Friend

I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE ONLY 2 VISITORS ALLOWED PER SESSION DURING VISITING HOURS: Yes [ x ] No [ ]

The nurse filed my visiting form in a white binder that seemed to burst at the edges and placed it back into the desk. “Follow me this way, please. Suzui-san was sleeping a little while ago, but she should be awake now.” The nurse led us into a small, stuffy room with only one window, facing the other hospital tower with none of Tokyo in view. Pale green curtains hung lazily from a rusty iron frame, and an old CRT television sat suspended in the upper right side of the room. Along the right wall beneath the TV, I could see bunches of bouquets of flowers and notes of all sizes from friends, family members and Shujin students. The bed in the center of the wall looked oddly out of place, too white and pressed for its surrounding aging environment.

And in the bed, sat Shiho.

“We kindly ask that you keep your visit as brief as possible.” The nurse whispered as she closed the door behind her.

Shiho was like a stranger to me. It had been more than a month since I had last seen her. At the time, I told myself it was her hair, which she wore down around her shoulders instead of in her signature sporty ponytail. Later, I realized it was her eyes that had taken me off guard. Red, swollen, lifeless eyes that seemed to stare out into nothing. It seemed to me that she wasn’t doing much sleeping before we arrived.

Shiho’s face seemed to make a long and painful journey to express happiness upon sight of Ann. “Ann.” Her voice faintly drifted across the bed to us. “I’m glad.” She sat up in bed and wiped her eyes.

“Of course, I promised I would come visit whenever I could, right?” Ann sat in a cushioned chair next to Shiho’s bed. “And Akira came along too. You remember Akira, right?” She motioned for me to come closer.

Shiho nodded slowly. “Of course I remember Kurusu.”

“Please,” I pulled up a chair next to Ann. “You can call me Akira.”

Ann and Shiho talked comfortably for a while. Ann would tell her stories about what happened at Shujin or at a modeling shoot, and would turn to me for verification of her story, most of which, I nodded or added a detail. The stories Ann told were exaggerated, to be funny or silly, with the intention of making Shiho laugh or at the very least, smile. I had lost track of time. It was difficult to see Shiho in such a painful state, but I was glad to know she had a few hours talking to her best friend, becoming distracted from everything. About two hours after we arrived, a doctor and nurse interrupted our visit to let us know that Shiho was scheduled to receive medication soon, and should rest before her intensive therapy session in the evening.

“I’m glad you two came to visit me today.” Shiho smiled at both of us as we stood and prepared to leave. “Before you go, though, I have a question.” Ann directed all attention to her friend. “What is it?”

Shiho’s face stiffened with pain. “I’ve been worried about this for a while, but how is Mishima-kun? I haven’t heard from him at all.” For a second, I could have sworn Shiho was going to cry. I braced myself for the rush of emotion. “I hope I didn’t hurt him.”

Ann shook her head and smiled. “You didn’t hurt anyone Shiho. I’m sure Mishima would be delighted to come and talk to you as well.” Ann reached out of sight and held my hand, squeezing it tightly. “We’ll let him know.”

The following week, Mishima repeated the steps I had done previously. Walk through the grand hospital entrance, up to the Physical Therapy department, and fill out a visitor’s form.

“I’m sorry,” The receptionist nurse told us when we presented ourselves at the desk. “Suzui-san is currently in a walking therapy session. If you’d like to take a seat, I’ll call you when she’s ready to see visitors.”

Mishima sat in an uncomfortable metal chair across from me in the waiting area. He fiddled nervously with his fingers, and tapped his foot rapidly against the floor. His eyes darted quickly between my face, the nurses, and people walking around us. I could see a light film of sweat build on his forehead.

“Mishima, are you going to be alright?”

Mishima nodded at the same pace as his tapping foot.

“If this is too much for you, we can come back another time.”

“No,” He shook his head. “Suzui wants to see me. It would be unfair to keep her waiting for so long.” I could hear the insecurity in his voice. I wanted to ask more, but restrained myself. Mishima and Shiho had some things left unsaid between them. It would be rude for me to pry. We sat the rest of the time in silence.

Some time later, a nurse called us and led us to Shiho’s room. “Suzui-san is recovering from a painful therapy session. She has taken some precautionary painkillers, in order to help her sleep later. I would prefer if your visit was brief today, to let her rest.”

I began to place the two visitor’s chairs by Shiho’s side when I saw Mishima, standing at the end of the bed. His hands trembled at his sides and his eyes widened. I was going to call out to him before I realized that Shiho was staring back. The tension in the room elevated to an uncomfortable level. Silence began to settle like ashes until the air conditioner suddenly whirred to life, as if on cue to cool down the intense confrontation.

“Mishima-kun . . .” Shiho started. “You’ve come to visit me. It’s been so long, I’m happy to see you.” Shiho’s voice faded at the end of her sentences, much quieter than the last time I had visited her with Ann. Mishima’s expression shifted from surprise to anger. “You’re . . . you’re happy to see me?”

Shiho’s face flashed surprise. “Of course I’m happy to see you.” She adjusted herself in bed. “I’m glad you’re not upset with me. You hadn’t come to visit me, so I was worried you were angry with me.”

Mishima’s hands curled into fists. His shoulders tensed up together, and his entire body seemed to compress. “You . . . you shouldn’t be . . .” Mishima mumbled under his breath.

Shiho scrambled to look for an answer on my face. “M-Mishima-kun . . . A-Akira . . .”

“Mishima,” I began. “Please . . .”

Mishima’s body released its tension in a whir as he took a step forward and placed a hand on his chest. His eyes widened and his shoulders broadened as he took a deep breath to speak.

“You shouldn’t be happy to see me! After all I did to you! You should be angry with me! You should hate me! You should be sick just at the sight of me!” Mishima screamed with his eyes closed, trying to avoid looking at Shiho, the manifestation of his guilt. Outside the door, I could hear nurses and patients react to Mishima’s loud voice.

And for the first time, even after the suicide attempt and after multiple visits with Ann, I saw Shiho’s emotional barrier come crashing down. Her eyes became glossy with tears before they began to uncontrollably stream down her face. “Mishima . . .” Shiho wiped her face with the back of her hands. “Mishima-kun, why do you think that? Why should I hate you?”

Mishima began to cry as well, he wiped his eyes and nose with his forearm. “B-Because . . .” He struggled to speak through gasps and tears. “Everything I did. With Kamoshida. I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to him. And I dragged you along into everything . . . Look at what happened to you, all of this is . . . because of me . . . I’m just as guilty and despicable as Kamoshida is . . .”

Shiho motioned for Mishima to come closer. She opened her arms to welcome him into a tight hug. “Suzui . . . Suzui . . . I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so . . .” Mishima continued to cry quietly while he hugged Shiho. “Mishima . . . No, ‘Yuuki’. Please, call me Shiho. Okay? It’s ‘Shiho’.” She gently stroked his hair and rubbed his back. Both Shiho and Mishima struggled to contain their emotions and cried, in a shaky, silent, conciliatory hug.

As Mishima pulled away and stood up straight again, both wiped their eyes of tears and collected themselves. “It’s okay Yuuki. I forgive you, okay? You did your best. Thank you for helping Akira-kun as well. You’re doing your best. I forgive you.” Mishima struggled to express a smile. “Shiho . . . thank you. I’ll keep doing my best for you. I’ll keep doing my best for everyone.” I stood and walked over to Mishima, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

“Are you going to be okay, Mishima?”

He nodded and showed me his smile. “I’m going to be fine. I should just . . . step outside and get some fresh air. To regain my composure. Excuse me, Shiho. Kurusu.” Mishima exited the room after taking some tissues.

I returned to the soft chair by Shiho’s side. Her eyes still looked foreign to me, red and puffy, but now they seemed to shine with something else. Tears, of course, but also hope, I would like to believe. Shiho ran her hand through the ends of her hair and giggled quietly.

“Yuuki is a good boy, isn’t he?”

“He sure is.” I responded with a smile.

Shiho reached out to hold my hand and placed it in her lap. “And you’re a good boy too, Akira-kun. I should thank you, as well. You’ve really done a lot for Yuuki and I.”

“I didn’t do much, I just brought him to see you.”

Shiho’s smile turned from wholesome and welcoming, to mischievous and smug. Her eyes half-shut, she yawned and fought against the pulling tide of sleep.

“Oh, but you’ve done much more, I believe. Without you, Kamoshida would still be wreaking havoc at Shujin. That artist Madarame would still be plagiarizing his student’s works. Mafia boss Kaneshiro would still be draining Shibuya pockets . . . ”

Red flags set off inside my head. There was no way someone could guess that many times and get everything right. Shiho’s voice began to weaken from the effects of the painkillers. “And Yuuki-kun has been running that website for polls and requests, right?”

“Shiho, I’m afraid I have no idea what you mean.” I did my best to keep a calm composure. Shiho could probably sense my nervousness from the tightening of my posture.

With a gentle smile, she sighed. “Of course you don’t. A professional never gives away their secrets, right? But regardless, from the bottom of my heart,” Shiho held my hand with fading strength. “Thank you for everything, Mr. Phantom Thief.”

At that moment, I realized Shiho was much more than a victim of Kamoshida, or a mutual friend of mine through Ann. She was an integral supporter of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Her eyes shut, her hair collected in a puddle around her head on the pillow, and her breathing became gentle and relaxed. Shiho was strong, just about as strong as any of the Phantom Thieves, but she couldn’t resist the temptation of sleep, for now. And in sleep, her face didn’t look as if it were in pain or forced by the medicine. Her face looked pure, calm and relaxed. One could even say Shiho looked as if she were finally at peace.

“We’re going to fight until the very end. For you, Shiho.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This was commissioned by a friend and a deeply emotional piece for me, so I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
